Contents

Title and Copyright Information

Preface

• Audience
• Directory Placeholders Used in This Guide
• Accessing Oracle Communications Documentation
• Documentation Accessibility
• Document Revision History

Part I Implementation Concepts

1 Implementation Concepts

• About Implementing ECE in a Charging System
• About Implementation Tasks
• About Defining Chargeable Usage Events
  • About Usage Requests
  • About Request Specification Data Objects
• About Integration Points
  • About Integration Points for PDC
  • About Integration Points for BRM
  • About Integration Points for Network Mediation Software for Online Charging
  • About Integration Points for Offline Mediation Controller
• About Implementation Tools
  • About Accessing and Editing ECE MBean Parameters
• About Loading Data from BRM
  • About Customer Data
  • About Configuration Data
  • About Product Cross-Reference Data
  • About Customer Updater
  • About Preselecting Customer Data for Loading
• About Loading Data from PDC
  • About Pricing Data
  • About Pricing Updater
• About Loading Sample Data

Part II Implementing ECE in a BRM Charging Solution

2 Integrating ECE with PDC

• Overview of Integrating ECE with PDC
• Creating Pricing Data for the ECE Runtime Environment
  • Applying Custom Attribute Analyzer Rules to Usage Request Attributes
  • Configuring ECE to Override a Product Price
• Loading Pricing Data into ECE
• Configuring ECE for Receiving Pricing Data Updates from PDC
  • Configuring the Pricing Updater

3 Integrating ECE with BRM

• Overview of Integrating ECE with BRM
• Reconfiguring External Manager Gateway
• Loading BRM Configuration Files into BRM
• Configuring ECE to Receive Customer Data from BRM
  • Configuring Customer Updater
    • Configuring Customer Updater for a BRM Multischema Environment
  • Configuring the Suspense Queue
  • Creating Prepopulated Distribution Tables
• Loading Data from BRM into ECE
  • Loading Data Keys from BRM into ECE
• Configuring ECE for Synchronizing Customer Data with BRM
  • Configuring BRM Gateway
  • Configuring Notifications for BRM
    • Configuring JMS for Sending Notifications to BRM Gateway
    • Configuring Notifications for BRM
  • Creating the BRM Gateway Suspense Queue
  • Enabling Real-Time Synchronization of BRM and ECE Customer Data Updates
  • Configuring the CM to Get Real-Time Balances for a Service from ECE
  • Configuring Item Assignment in ECE for BRM
  • Configuring Life Cycle States in ECE for BRM
• Configuring ECE to Send Rated Events to BRM
  • Enabling and Configuring Rated Event Publisher
  • Installing and Configuring Rated Event Formatter
    • Installing Rated Event Formatter
    • Configuring Rated Event Formatter
    • Troubleshooting Rated Event Formatter Processing
  • Configuring the Rated Event Formatter Output
  • Setting Up Rated Event Loader for ECE
• Configuring ECE for Rerating
  • Configuring the Rerating Acknowledgment Queue
  • Configuring BRM for ECE Rerating
• Enabling ECE to Rate Events during Account Migration
  • Configuring ECE to Use the AMM Acknowledgment Queue
• Configuring External Manager Gateway for High Availability
• Configuring ECE for a Multischema BRM Environment

4 Network Integration for Online Charging Using Diameter Gateway

• Overview of Network Integration Using Diameter Gateway
• Network Integration for Sp and Sy Interface (Policy) Requests
• Network Integration for Gy Interface Requests
  • Constructing Usage Requests
  • Editing the Mediation Specification File
  • Network Integration for Gy Balance Query Requests
  • Network Integration for Gy Top-Up Requests
  • Sending Multiple-Service Credit Control Requests from Diameter Gateway
  • Configuring Subscriber ID Lookups
• Adding Custom AVPs for Usage Requests
• Configuring Notifications for Diameter Gateway
• Configuring Alternative Diameter Peers for Notifications
• Handling Requests When Charging Servers Are Unavailable

5 Authentication and Accounting Using RADIUS Gateway

• Overview of Authentication and Accounting Using RADIUS Gateway
• About RADIUS Gateway Authentication
• Authenticating Access Requests by Using PAP
• Authenticating Access Requests by Using CHAP
• Authenticating Access Requests by Using EAP
• About RADIUS Gateway Accounting
• About Accounting-Start and Accounting-Stop Requests
• About Accounting-On and Accounting-Off Requests
• About Accounting-Interim-Update Requests

6 Integrating ECE with Offline Mediation Controller

• Overview of Integrating ECE with Offline Mediation Controller
• Sending Offline Charging Requests to ECE
• About Suspense Management for Offline Charging

Part III Implementing Charging Configurations

7 Overview of Charging Configurations

• Understanding Usage-Event Definitions
• Understanding Usage-Charging Business Rules
• Understanding Runtime Charging Options

8 Configuring Notifications for Charging

• About Configuring Notifications
• Enabling External Notifications in ECE
• Configuring JMS Credentials for Publishing External Notifications
  • Deploying JMS Configuration Setting Updates onto a Running System
• Configuring Notifications for Online Charging
  • Configuring Top-up Notifications
  • Configuring Threshold Breach Notifications
  • Configuring Credit Limit Ceiling Breach Notifications
  • Configuring Credit Limit Floor Breach Notifications
  • Configuring Advice of Charge Notifications
  • Configuring Policy-Driven Charging Notifications
  • Configuring Headers for External Notifications
• Configuring Notifications for BRM
• Enriching External Notifications with Subscriber Preference Information
• Sample Notification Payloads

9 Configuring Business Rules for Charging

• About Usage-Charging Business Rules
  • About Reservation Validity
  • About Reservation Quota
  • About Minimum Quantity for Reservation
  • About Advice of Promotion
  • About Rounding Charging Results
  • About Reverse Rating When Rating Is Based on Multiple RUMs
  • About a Tolerance for Policy-Tier Threshold Breaches for Policy-Driven Charging
• Configuring Usage-Charging Business Rules
  • Configuring Reservation Validity and Expiration
  • Configuring Reservation Quota for Products
  • Configuring a Minimum Quantity for Reservation
  • Configuring Advice of Promotion
  • Configuring Rounding for a Currency Resource
  • Configuring Rounding for a Noncurrency Resource
  • Configuring Rounding for Reverse Rating on Multiple RUMs
  • Configuring a Tolerance for Policy-Tier Threshold Breaches for Policy-Driven Charging
  • Configuring Systemwide Consumption Rules for Balances
  • Defining Systemwide Credit Profiles
  • Redirecting a Subscriber Session to a Service Portal
  • Configuring ECE to Generate Midsession Rated Events

10 Configuring Charging Runtime Options

• About Charging Runtime Options
  • About Taxation
  • About Notifications
  • About Server-Initiated Reauthorization Requests (RAR)
  • About Debit Request History
  • About Open-Session Management for Network Element Failures
• Configuring Charging Runtime Options
  • Configuring Taxation
  • Configuring the Return of Remaining Balances in Usage Responses
  • Configuring ECE to Align the Validity Start and End of Conditional Balance Impacts
  • Configuring Support for Server-Initiated Reauthorization Requests
  • Configuring Debit Request History
  • Configuring Open-Session Management for Network Element Failures

Part IV Integrating ECE with Client Programs

11 Overview of Integrating Client Applications with ECE

• ECE Integration with Client Applications

12 About the ECE Sample Programs

• About the Sample Programs
• Finding the Sample Programs
• Descriptions of the Sample Programs
• Compiling and Running the Sample Programs
• About Sample Program Parameters
• About Sample Program Methods
• Usage Example for SampleDebitRefundSession

13 Integrating Charging Clients with ECE

• About Integrating ECE with Charging Diameter Applications
• About Building Usage Requests
  • About the Usage Request Builder
  • Using Incremental or Cumulative Accounting for Usage Requests
  • About Usage Request Fixed Attributes
• About Charging Operation Types
• Building Usage Requests
• Consuming ECE Notification Data
• Using Multiple Services Credit Control (MSCC)
• Sample Programs for Integrating with Charging Clients

14 Integrating Policy Clients with ECE

• About Integrating Policy Clients with ECE
• About the ECE Sy and Sp Interfaces
  • About the ECE Sy Interface
  • About the ECE Sp Interface
    • Querying for Extended Subscriber Preference Information in Sp Query
  • About a Combined ECE Sy and Sp Interface
• Sample Policy Notification Payloads
• Using the Policy Management API
• Sample Programs for Policy Requests

15 Integrating Top-Up Clients with ECE

• About Integrating Third-Party Top-Up Systems with ECE
• Using the Top-Up API
  • Top-Up API Validation Behavior
• Preventing Duplicate Top-Up Requests
• Sample Programs for Top-up Requests

16 Integrating Query Clients with ECE

• About Integrating Query Clients with ECE
  • About Sending Authentication Queries
  • About Sending Balance Queries
    • About Balance Element ID Information in the ECE Balance Query Response
    • About Grantor Information in the ECE Balance Query Response
  • About Sending Price Estimation Queries
• Using the Query APIs
• Sample Programs for Query Requests

Part V Testing an ECE Implementation

17 Overview of ECE Testing Tools

• About ECE Testing Tools
• About the ECE SDK
• About the Simulator
• About the Customer File Generator
• About the Query Tool
• About Data-Loading Utilities
  • About loader
  • About configLoader
  • About customerLoader
    • About the ECE Customer XML Data Files
    • About the ECE Credit Profile XML Data Files
  • About pricingLoader
    • About the Pricing XML Data File
    • About the Pricing XML Schema File
• About Sample Programs
• Using Data-Loading Utilities
  • Using configLoader
    • Configuring configLoader
    • Loading Configuration Data with configLoader
  • Using pricingLoader
    • Configuring pricingLoader
    • Loading Pricing Data with pricingLoader
  • Using customerLoader
    • Configuring customerLoader
    • Loading Customer Data with customerLoader
    • Loading Customer Data Incrementally with customerLoader
• About the Performance MBean
• Changing Time and Date to Test ECE

18 Using the Simulator to Test ECE

• About the Simulator
• Configuring the Simulator
  • Configuring the Simulator for an ECE Integrated Implementation
    • Pointing the Simulator to a Request Specification File
    • Configuring the Simulator to Populate Payload Fields
• Using the Simulator with BRM
• About Running a Sample Workload
  • Loading Required Cache Data
  • Customizing Your Sample Workload
  • Running a Sample Workload
• About the loader Utility
• Generating Customer Data for a Workload

19 Using the Query Tool to Test ECE

• About the Query Tool
• Using the Query Tool
• Using the Query Tool Interactively
• Using the Query Tool Non-Interactively
• Query Tool Logfile
• Query Tool Command History
• Query Examples
  • Query a Customer Balance
  • Query the Subscriber Base Balance Summary

20 Testing Scenarios in an Integrated System

• Verifying That Configuration Data Is Loaded into ECE
• Verifying That Pricing Data Is Loaded into ECE
• Verifying That Customer Data Is Loaded into ECE
• Verifying That Rated Events Are Published to Oracle NoSQL Database
  • Disabling the Publishing of Rated Events to Oracle NoSQL Database
• Verifying That Customer Balances Are Updated in BRM
• Verifying That Rated Event CDR Files Are Created
• Verifying That ECE Notifications Are Published to the JMS Topic
  • Disabling the Publishing of ECE Notifications to the JMS Topic
• Verifying an ECE Integrated System
• Verifying That Usage Requests Are Processed in an Integrated System
  • Starting ECE Nodes in the Cluster
  • Running the Simulator to Send Usage Requests
  • Verifying That Balances Are Impacted in ECE
• Verifying That Friends and Family Calls Are Processed
• Verifying That Closed User Group Calls Are Processed
• Verifying That Balance Impacts Are Assigned to Bill Items
• Verifying That Payloads in Request Specifications Are Correctly Formed

Part VI Implementation Utilities

21 ECE Implementation Utilities

• configLoader
• customerLoader
• pricingLoader
• query.sh

Part VII Appendices for Implementation Guide

A ECE API Reference

• About ECE APIs
• Authentication API
• Balance API
• Charging API
• Notifications API
• Policy Management API
• Custom Plug-in API
• Top-Up API